How to Host Effective Online Meeting (Beginner’s Guide)

Do you want to host effective online meeting that ensures productive outcomes and offers highly engaging experiences for all participants? From planning to execution, each phase plays a big role in the overall success of your virtual gathering.

Whether you are coordinating a team debrief, hosting a workshop, or launching a large-scale conference, knowing the right steps to take is key.

How to Host Effective Online Meeting?

Hosting effective online meeting starts by choosing the right technology and ensuring all participants can access and use the tools effectively forms the backbone of a successful online meeting. During the meeting, your role encompasses:

• Facilitating the conversation to ensure a productive gathering and discussion.
• Managing time to keep the online meeting from overrun and focus on the agenda.
• Using engagement techniques to keep the conversation lively and inclusive.

From clarifying your objectives, choosing the right platform, and designing an agenda that maintains focus while allowing for interactive discussions, here we will take you step by step on what you’ll need to do to host effective online meeting.

Step 1: Planning Your Online Meeting

Starting a successful online meeting requires strategic planning. Address key aspects such as platform choice, scheduling, and agenda clarity early in the process.

Selecting the Right Platform For Online Meeting

The choice of your video conferencing platform is the foundation of your meeting effectiveness.

Evaluate the platforms based on the features they offer, such as screen sharing, recording options, and participant limits. Mobile App features and ease of access also play a critical role on the participant rate. If you are wondering which to choose, you can consider these popular options:

Scheduling the Meeting

Pick a date and time that maximizes attendance. When you schedule a meeting, keep in mind the time zones of all participants to avoid conflicts.

Studies shows that the best time for an online meeting is in mid-morning between 10am to 12pm which is right before lunch time.

• Meeting is less likely to overrun before launch
• Participants tend to be more refresh in the morning
• Sufficient time is given after the meeting for follow-up actions

Utilize scheduling tools or a poll to determine the most convenient time for the group.

Send a calendar invite with a clear meeting title, date, and time to ensure it’s locked into everyone’s schedule.

Creating a Clear Agenda

Creating a clear agenda helps to outlines the topics to be discussed, keeping all participants on the same page with a clear focus on the objective of the meeting.

Your agenda should be shared with participants in advance. List the main points, the order of topics, and the time allocated to each.

Not only an agenda ensures that your meeting remains focused, it makes your meeting time-efficient and everyone know what is expected, and thus are more prepared for the meeting.

Here is a template on the format of a simple agenda.

A clear agenda promotes better engagement and meeting productivity.

Step 2: Technical Setup

For a smooth online meeting experience, you need to ensure your audio and video equipment are functioning, as well as verifying stable internet connectivity, and setting up the necessary software and accounts.

Audio and Video Equipment

Your voice and image are how participants perceive you, so quality matters.

Use a microphone that provides clear sound and consider a headset to minimize background noise. Here’s how to compare these devices:

Pro Tip: Remember to mute your microphone when not speaking to prevent feedback or background noise. To become visible, ensure your webcam is positioned correctly and check the lighting.

Internet Connectivity

A stable internet connection is key to prevent interruptions. For the best experience, a wired connection is more reliable than a wireless one. But since it is hard to find “wired connection” nowadays, there are a few things you can do as well.

• When using Wi-Fi, stay close to the router to maintain a strong signal.
• Get yourself a Wi-Fi amplifier to boost your Wi-Fi signal.
• Test your speed prior to the meeting to ensure it meets the platform’s requirements.

Software Installation and Account Creation

While many online meeting software offers direct access through web-browser, some still requires software downloads to get started.

Download and install the software or application required for your meeting on your PC or Mac at least a few days before the online meeting. Follow these steps:

1. Visit the official website or link provided by your IT team.
2. Select the version compatible with your operating system.
3. Follow the installation instructions provided.

After installing, create an account if needed or sign in. Update any software in advance of the meeting to avoid last-minute delays.

Step 3: Running the Online Meeting

Effective meeting management is key once your online meeting begins.

Your job as the meeting host is to ensure smooth discussions, clear audio and video, and active participation between meeting attendees.

Starting the Meeting

Begin by checking your audio and video to ensure you are both seen and heard clearly. Address technical issues swiftly to avoid delays.

Welcome participants as they join, making use of a waiting room feature if available, as this can give you control over when to commence.

As the host of the meeting, it’s important to start on time to demonstrate respect for everyone’s schedule.

Facilitating Discussion and Collaboration

Set the stage for constructive interaction by clearly outlining the agenda and objectives.

Encourage open discussion by using features like raise hand and chat, which allow attendees to signal when they wish to speak.

Utilize breakout rooms for smaller, focused group activities or discussions. This promotes deeper collaboration and ensures that every voice has the opportunity to be heard.

Managing Meeting Participation

Keep a balance between guiding the conversation and allowing free-flowing discussion. Here are some methods to manage participation:

• Use your role as the host to mute participants when not speaking to maintain audio quality.
• Take advantage of the Q&A feature for organized feedback and be attentive to the flow of the conversation.
• Always remain respectful and considerate to encourage a productive virtual meeting atmosphere.

Here is a simple chart you can use to manage your meeting participation:

Step 4: Enhancing Participant Engagement

Ensuring your participants are actively involved is crucial for a successful online meeting. This step details how you can leverage tools and techniques to keep attendees engaged and focused.

Using Interactive Features

• Screen Sharing: You can keep participants engaged by using screen sharing to present visual aids that complement your discussion. It’s a straightforward way to guide attendees through your content, allowing for real-time collaboration and explanation.
• Whiteboard: Utilize a whiteboard feature to brainstorm and visualize ideas as a group, fostering a collaborative environment. This feature can be an excellent way for participants to contribute inputs dynamically.

Effective Communication Skills

• Clear Instructions: Always give clear instructions before starting any activity.
• Active Listening: Pay attention when participants speak, and acknowledge their contributions. This shows respect and encourages further participation.

Here are some do’s and don’ts for effective communication:

Incorporating Icebreakers

Icebreakers can effectively warm up the group, particularly at the start of your meeting.

• Start With Question: Consider starting with a simple question related to the topic at hand, or a quick fun fact exchange to get everyone talking.
• Cameras On: Encourage participants to turn on their cameras during these activities to enhance the sense of community and connection among attendees. Seeing each other can make the interaction more personal and engaging.

Step 5: Post-Meeting Follow-up

Effective follow-up is a critical step in ensuring your online meeting’s success. It helps to clarify the outcomes of the meeting and sets the stage for future actions.

Distributing Meeting Minutes and Recordings

Once your meeting ends, quickly provide the minutes and recordings to all participants within the same day. This guarantees everyone has the same information and can reference discussions accurately.

The goal of a Meeting Minutes is to

• Summarize key points
• Document down key decisions
• List down action items

Once you’ve created your meeting minutes upload the meeting recording to a secure and accessible location or send it through a secure email to each of your participants.

Soliciting Feedback (Optional)

After distributing the minutes and recordings, ask for feedback to improve future meetings.

• Surveys: Use short, focused surveys to gather actionable insights.
• Informal Requests: A quick message can also capture valuable personal feedback.

Planning for Future Meetings

Finally, plan for subsequent meetings.

• Calendar Invitations: Schedule the next meeting in advance. Then, confirm availability and send calendar invitations.
• Continuity: Ensure action items from the current meeting are addressed in the next.

For the meeting to be truly productive, you need to follow up with the pre and post meeting follow-ups, take notes, and send invitations.

The key is to maintain momentum and drive the actions agreed upon during your online meeting or conference call.

Best Practices for Hosting Online Meetings For First Time Host

To foster effective and engaging online meetings, leverage high-quality equipment and platforms that offer both robust features and cost-efficiency.

1. Maintaining High-Quality Video and Audio

The choice of hardware determines your video and audio quality of your online meeting.

When possible, use a dedicated webcam and microphone for clarity. Also, invest in equipment that provides crisp visuals and clear sound to prevent miscommunication.

Lastly, test your setup before the meeting to ensure everything functions properly.

2. Ensuring Cost-Effective Solutions

Remember, cost-effective solutions don’t mean sacrificing quality. Compare different virtual meeting platforms to find the best balance between features and price.

Choose a plan that meets your needs without paying for unnecessary extras. Ask yourself questions like:

• What things I want to do during the meeting?
• Is there any group activities during the meeting?
• Do I want to record the meeting and let it play back on a later date?

3. Utilizing a Virtual Meeting Platform’s Full Potential

Select an easy-to-use virtual meeting platform that maximizes your meeting’s potential.

• Harness tools for engagement, such as polls and breakout rooms.
• Familiarize yourself with the platform’s features. This will help you smoothly transition between presentation modes and discussions.
• Utilize shared digital conference rooms for collaborative sessions. This will replicate the experience of in-person meetings.

Understand the online meeting tool you are using and see how you can use the full potential of it’s features to make the meeting more interesting and engaging.

Getting Started With Online Meeting

Hosting an effective online meeting have many moving parts including; the participants, the host and the meeting tools you use. Of which, getting the right meeting tools is the only variable that you can actually fully control and determine.

Having said that, here are some of the top online meeting tools that will help you to get started:

• Best webinar software platform for business organizations
• Top secured 1:1 online meeting software
• Top enterprise meeting software for small and big business organization

Read Also:

• How to Write a Professional Email At Work (with Examples)
• How to Reply to a Meeting Invitation Request (with Examples)
• 23 Email Etiquette: Professional Communication in Remote Workplace
• How to Do Online Meeting Follow-Up [+12 Follow-Up Meeting Email Templates]
• How to Boost Engagement During Online Meetings During (5 Meeting Engagement Strategies)